The X-Men Family
by harukafics
Summary: Daily interaction and relationships between the X-Men and the Brotherhood at home and school.


PLEASE READ: Back in 2001, this story was written for an RPG/mailing list that I was involved with, but it's been fifteen years since then. I'm not the same person I was, and my interests have changed. Therefore, although I've had requests from past readers to post it on AO3, I don't feel that I can leave it exactly as it was. This will be a revised version that I'm giving a go at picking up again, and will see where it leads me.

It primarily features the X-Men: Evolution cast, but you may see some tweaks to the characters that resemble their Movieverse counterparts, or anything else X-Men-related.

The X-Men Family

Part 1

By Haruka (haruka at ymail dot com)

The mutant named Logan, codename Wolverine, never imagined himself a family man. His life was so full of violence just by the nature of who and what he was that it seemed better not to risk others being close to him.

So how did he end up playing instructor/babysitter to a bunch of mutant kids? He wasn't sure. But the least he could do was teach them to protect themselves so they could survive out there. And the truth was, he loved his role at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, and he loved the kids.

Perhaps more surprising was that he ended up not just being a guardian of sorts, but a father. Two of the young charges, Rogue and Kurt, had been revealed to be not only siblings, but twins – a shocking surprise to them both. To top it off, their mother, Raven Darkholme, known better as Mystique, had finally told Logan they were his biologically. Knowing better than to trust her word, Logan and the kids all insisted on medical testing as proof. They got it.

Mystique, a mutant herself, has spent the majority of her life on the wrong side, causing innumerous problems for the X-Men, the group of students organized and headed by Professor Charles Xavier. It was in his Institute where Logan and his children had been living, unaware of their familial ties, and where Mystique had recently agreed to join them.

It was a strange time for all of them. Kurt and Rogue had to get used to being siblings as well as friends and teammates, plus having their biological parents together and involved in their lives. Logan was adjusting to being a father and the reawakening of his feelings for Mystique. And as for Mystique herself ….

Something was wrong.

Her mutant name suited her well. For as long as Logan had known her, and that was a considerably long time, Raven had been secretive, and always seemed to have a hidden agenda. Since resigning her leadership of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, she had genuinely seemed to be doing her best to fit in as an instructor at the Institute. She already knew all the kids as Principal of the school they attended, Bayville High, but it was quite a different thing to live with them and participate in their training sessions. The kids hadn't been immediately trusting – after all, she had pitted her Brotherhood boys against them more than once – but it was coming. She seemed to want to help them learn to use their powers, and was working hard to finally be a mother to her own kids, as well as build a new relationship with their father. It was because of their becoming close again that he could tell she was once more hiding something from him.

It was late, and all their charges were in bed. Mystique lay on the couch in the living room, idly flipping channels with the remote. She had forsaken her usual dress for a pair of torn jeans and a t-shirt. Her blue feet were bare, the toenails painted red.

Logan suppressed an animalistic growl in his throat. Even when they were enemies, he'd found Mystique attractive. Her long red hair, blue skin, and completely yellow eyes were more than just exotic, and she had as tempting a female figure as any man could imagine. Knowing she'd borne two children of his only served to heighten his interest and desire for her. Being Logan, however, he wasn't the mushy type, not the kind to shower a woman in flowers and candy. That didn't matter to Mystique. He knew she realized he was as much animal as the Wolverine for which he was named, and she loved him the way he was.

"Nothing on?" he questioned as he entered the room. Mystique looked up, the vaguely sad look vanishing from her face.

"Hi there," she greeted, and waved a hand toward the tv. "Nah, just the news."

Logan seated himself in a chair and regarded her seriously. "I want to talk to you."

Her eyebrow lifted. "What about?"

"About whatever's been bugging you the last few days," Logan said frankly. "I'm not the only one who's seen it, Misti – even the kids have said you seem distracted. And anytime you think no one's looking, you look miserable." He paused before continuing, "Are you having second thoughts?"

"No!" Mystique said quickly. "Not for a moment. I'm glad I'm here, Logan. I love all the kids. Charles, Ororo, and Hank have been wonderful to me …." She smiled warmly. "And of course, there's us."

"Then what's the problem?" Logan insisted. "SOMETHING'S been eating at you."

Mystique's smile faded, and even without she having pupils or irises, Logan could see the sadness re-enter her yellow eyes. "It's …." She sighed and looked away. "I don't think you'll want to hear this."

Logan tried not to feel fear. She had just said she was happy at the Institute and with him, so he'd have to believe that. "Try me," he told her.

Mystique sighed again and turned back to face him apologetically. "I miss the Brotherhood. Not being _in_ it," she added hastily, "I miss the boys." She shrugged. "Okay, maybe I was a selfish bitch while I was with them, but being here with you and the kids and coming to understand Charles' dream –" She blinked and Logan was shocked to see tears in her eyes – Mystique was not a crier - "I DID care about them in my own way, and I'm worried about them. They're totally on their own with no supervision or means of support. Magneto will only use them – he doesn't care less about any of them, not even his own son …." She buried her face in her hands. "I'm afraid for them," she said tearfully.

Logan got up from his chair and sat beside her on the couch, putting a strong arm around her shoulders. He felt both guilty and proud at her revelation. On one side he thought he should have suspected she might worry about the four boys that made up the Brotherhood. Her maternal instincts had been running in high gear since she moved into the Institute – why shouldn't that extend to the misfits of the Brotherhood? And that was why he was proud. Mystique must truly be reformed if she was willing to jeopardize her new life by admitting affection for those kids. Any last reservations he might have had disappeared, and he nuzzled her soft hair.

"I'm sorry," he said, apologizing for more than she realized. "I know Chuck had been hoping those kids would come around, but so far there's been no indication they're interested."

"Well, for Heaven's sake, there wouldn't be! Not after I got through bringing them together and teaching them to be enemies to the X-Men." Mystique wiped her eyes and shook her head. "I did it and I have to undo it, if it can still be fixed at all." She looked at him hopefully. "Charles wouldn't mind if we brought them here?"

"Mind? Raven, you said you understood his dream. You must realize he won't turn _anyone_ away." He gave her shoulders a squeeze. "We'll tell him how you feel and get his thoughts on how to do it."

"All right," Mystique said, sounding relieved. He could feel the tension ease in her muscles now that she knew something would be done.

"Come on, let's go to bed," he suggested. "We'll work on it fresh in the morning."

She nodded and smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, Wolvie."

He scowled. "Don't call me that."

"Okay, Wolvie!" She giggled and darted out of the room, an open invitation to be chased. Logan gladly obliged.

End of part 1

X-Men belongs to Marvel.

(2001) original, (2016) revision

 **PLEASE NOTE:** This will be the only chapter of this multi-part story to be posted on because years ago when I posted it here before, deleted it when I got to part 146. I still don't know why, and even though I'm re-writing this story as I go, I won't take the chance of working to post it if it'll only get deleted again. So really, I'm posting this one chapter as a notice that anyone who wants to continue reading it can do so on AO3 (Archive of our Own.)


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